Timeline for Is it necessary to add "had" in past tense narration when it's clear we're talking about the past?
Current License: CC BY-SA 4.0
13 events
| when toggle format | what | by | license | comment | |
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| Feb 27, 2021 at 3:57 | comment | added | Barmar | @alephzero I disagree. The difference between "the last" and "the previous" is whether it's relative to "now" or the time being referenced in the narration. Neither implies "only one". | |
| Feb 27, 2021 at 3:08 | comment | added | alephzero | I disagree that "had" is required, though it's harmless (if you don't mind using more words than you need to). | |
| Feb 27, 2021 at 3:05 | comment | added | alephzero | @Barmar "the previous time" does not mean the same as "the last time". "The previous time" implies there was only one "previous" event. | |
| Feb 26, 2021 at 6:38 | vote | accept | wyc | ||
| Feb 26, 2021 at 1:32 | comment | added | user31257 | I prefer the original example so much more. The rewording is totally different, and a little unusual (perhaps just to me). The original is dramatic, cliché/idiomatic, and really definitively sets the scene and conveys the palpable feelings of fear the character is experiencing. | |
| S Feb 25, 2021 at 23:45 | history | suggested | Azor Ahai -him- | CC BY-SA 4.0 |
use vs mention
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| Feb 25, 2021 at 22:35 | review | Suggested edits | |||
| S Feb 25, 2021 at 23:45 | |||||
| Feb 25, 2021 at 17:19 | comment | added | Barmar | Yes, you can use "had", but it's no longer necessary to indicate that you're talking about time further in the past from the existing context. | |
| Feb 25, 2021 at 17:13 | comment | added | Alex Spurling | @Barmar, I don't think your version changes the grammar. You replaced "The last time" with "The previous time" and "a year ago" with "a year earlier". You also could decide to insert "had" in your version of the sentence. I don't see how it resolves the question of whether or not "had" is necessary. | |
| Feb 25, 2021 at 17:11 | comment | added | Alex Spurling | Your adaption completely changes the meaning of the sentence. I don't think it's correct. In your version, the character goes into the store, in the original version, we only know that he did so last year but in the present, he may decide against it. | |
| Feb 25, 2021 at 15:49 | comment | added | Barmar | You can also avoid ambiguity with something like "The previous time he stepped into a convenience store was a year earlier" | |
| Feb 25, 2021 at 15:43 | history | edited | EDL | CC BY-SA 4.0 |
added 57 characters in body
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| Feb 25, 2021 at 4:53 | history | answered | EDL | CC BY-SA 4.0 |